How to Etch Stainless & Carbon Damascus
By taking your time and learning how to etch stainless Damascus and carbon Damascus steel properly, you’ll avoid problems like spots in your finished product. Damascus etching is done with a mixture of Ferric Chloride and Distilled Water, we use a 50/50 mixture. Before you begin, check the expiration date on your acid of choice to be sure that it’s not too old. Using expired acid causes problems with your etch, and you don’t want to find out after you’ve already started that your acid is too old to work properly. (Click here to buy the Ferric Chloride we use)
Step 1: Sanding
Bring your Damascus to a 400 to 600 grit finish. *Do not buff before etching! Buffing closes the pores in the metal, which will keep the acid from absorbing, and you’ll end up with an uneven etch.
Step 2: Washing
To etch Damascus, it should be perfectly clean. Thoroughly wash your piece with acetone and pat it dry with a clean rag.
Step 3: Dilution
If you’re using ferric acid, dilute it with DISTILLED water until you have pretty close to a 50/50 ratio of acid to water. Never use tap water, spring water, or filtered water – they will all cause problems with the etc. Be sure that your distilled water hasn’t been sitting for more than a year.
Step 4: Warming the acid
Warm if needed. The temperature of your acid should be between 70 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit, about room temperature.
If you need to warm your acid for use, the best method is to place your container of acid into a large bowl of warm water. Never put acid in the microwave!
Step 5: Submersion
With a wire, hang your damascus piece in the container of acid so that it hangs freely and doesn’t touch the bottom of the container.
To ensure that the acid penetrates, you can swish the piece back and forth in the acid, but brushing is the best way to be sure you get an even etch. Use a soft toothbrush and after 1 minute pull the Damascus from the etchant and lightly brush over the entire surface. Repeat this again at the 5 minute mark.
Let your piece remain in the acid for 10 minutes total or until you achieve the depth you want.
If there are sections that you don’t want the acid to etch then you can use nail polish to mask the material. Be careful to not brush the masked area when etching cause it can remove the polish.
Step 6: Neutralization
Remove your Damascus piece from the acid and dip it into a bath of baking soda for 10 minutes. Mix a generous amount of baking soda with distilled water to make your bath. Baking soda will settle to the bottom so make sure to mix it up well right before you drop your pieces in.
You can also use Windex for this step, but don’t try to spray your piece. Pour the windex into a container deep enough that you can completely submerge your Damascus item.
After 5 minutes, rinse the material thoroughly and then spray with Windex. It’s the ammonia in the windex that will ensure you have fully neutralized the Ferric Chloride. Pat dry with a clean rag.
If you have masked part of your piece so that it doesn’t etch, and you want to do another round in the acid and baking soda, completely remove the mask, clean the blade, and then reapply your mask before the second etch. Skipping this step is not advisable, even if your masking still looks good, because the acid can penetrate the second time around and ruin your design.
Step 7: Polishing with Sand Paper (Optional)
This works best with flat parts that are deep etched. One of the steels within the damascus isn’t affected by the etch, which is what gives stainless Damascus that unique texture when it’s finished. Use a 2000 grit sandpaper to gently buff the top of that slightly raised steel, and the other steel will remain dark and unpolished, giving you a beautiful and dramatic contrast. This can be tricky if the piece you are trying to sand isn’t flat, sometimes it’s just best to leave it as it is.
Some makers like to soak finished pieces in WD-40 over night to get a darker contrast. Results seem to vary with this but it won’t affect your material negatively if you want to try.
48 comments
I had sanded the tang of my blade while shaping the handle, which removed any previously-visible “damascus” contrast lines. (up to 600 grit sandpaper)
I bought some muriatic acid and some masking liquid and then painted the masking liquid on the handle, leaving the tang exposed to be etched.
When the masking liquid was dry, using a resparator, gloves, and eye protection, I repeatedly painted the taing with muriatic acid for about 15 minutes. I did this instead of submerging because the blade didn’t need additional etching.
To nutralize I used a strong baking soda solution and then plenty of water.
The results were excellent! The damascus pattern was revealed.
The downside was: In a couple of places the masking liquid had left a tiny amount of wood exposed (fractions of a millimeter), and the acid stained the wood. If you’re masking like I did, be SURE to avoid gaps.
Conveniently, my goal wasn’t to make a “clean” knife. I wanted something that had more of a worn look to it. So the discolouration fit with the desired aesthetic. (yay)
Mistakes: I forgot to clean with alchol before etching. (wasn’t a problem in the end, but I had intended do…)
Thanks for your article!
Travis, with Damascus you have to keep it well oiled. Its a lot easier to do some periodic maintenance than to clean up the rust. Damascus can be like a girlfriend, it requires regular attention, some minor maintenance, lots of love, and it’ll be strong and ready when your need it.
Generally I’ll touch up my edges and apply a thin coat of gun oil. Also, if your blade sits in a sheath it’s best to remove it while storing or displaying.
Hope this helps.
yes its ideal, for extra color and to help resist rust
Sounds awesome!
A quick dip in and out of some ferric chloride is a cool look.
Hope you got this figured out
You should always use distilled water if your not. Check out our FAQ, follow those instructions and you should be good. If it’s not our damascus than that could be your issue too.
Rubbing alcohol is good
Vous êtes les bienvenus. Merci pour votre commentaire
Better to be careful without tape in my opinion, tape leaks. If it was me I would use a sponge to spread the ferric/Distilled water mix over the blade. Full, smooth passes over entire blade for 5 minutes or more. Then like you said, nuetralize with windex or baking soda
If it was me I would use a sponge to spread the ferric/Distilled water mix over the blade. Full, smooth passes over entire blade for 5 minutes or more.
Hi,
Just bought a cheap knife with damascus blade. It has vertical scratch marks in the blade, which I’m sanding out by hand. When I’m done and ready to etch, what do you recommend as the best way of protecting the handle? At least a little of the handle will need to be in the acid to ensure the whole blade is etched (I think). Suggestions???
If you are etching Damascus that butts up against wood scales what is the best way to do this? Can I tape off the wood and just brush on the ferric acid, then brush on the baking soda or windex?
Any help is appreciated, great article.
Thanks
Andy
Magnifique !
Bravo et
Merci beaucoup pour toutes ces informations claires net et précises !
Meilleures salutations de l autre côté de l océan Atlantique !…
Etching will also create micro-serrations so just be cognizant of the type of chefs knife you’re using and what you’re using it for. As a chef and knife maker micro-serrations help with all sorts of general purpose cutting but may not be helpful in things like soft breads.
I’m new to Damascus and I was wondering what type of alcohol to use to clean the Damascus before the etch like liquor or acetone or what
I’m just getting started every time I dip my blades in straight mureatic acid and I use water and dip 4 or 5 times for some reason they will turn real dark you can see the patterns in the blade but it is just not the look people who buy Damascus are looking for.
Hi, I made a ring from Damascus steel and have it sitting in ferric chloride 50 50 mix and it’s not doing anything , I have left it in for 3 hours and it’s still not eating into the steel as I want it to , what could I be doing wrong ?
Is there a best method to etch mokume?
After grinding the blade to my desired shape and sanding smooth to almost mirror
finish, I did the acid bath three times to achieve a good contrast in the steel. Finished
with 1200 sanding. Turned out beautiful, complimenting the stag handle I just finished. Thanks for the very helpful article.
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I have some damascus that I used to make some motorcycle parts. Do they need to be heat treated before the etching to really bring out the contrast?
I am in the process of building a knife with a Damascus blade.
I reground the blade to my desired shape, sanded the surface
using 400-600 grit and am now in the process of etching. Thank you for the detailed instructions that I have been following with great success. It is lookin’ good!
Appreciate the comment. Always great to get feedback including the process you used. Thanks.
I bought a Damascus knife at a show and it won’t stop rusting after every use and wash. Is there a way to re etch the blade then seal it so it wont be so prone to rusting. Its the only knife I own that does this.
Studying metallurgy as a layman. Great information.
Gonna try this on an old Damascus Shotgun Barrel.
What about masking other materials like buffalo horn or turquoise and fiber spacers that are epoxied together in the handle? I have a multi media handle assembled using horn, turquoise, and camel bone spacers along with fiber and brass sheets as thinner spacers. These are stacked and epoxied together into one handle and have a Damascus guard at one end and a Damascus endcap or pommel. I would like to re etch these pieces after the sanding and shaping process but of course need to mask off the other handle materials with something that can be removed without harming the other materials.
I’m trying to get a dark etch on some spirograph for a ring and can’t seem to get the contrast I’m looking for. I’ve done plenty etching on your stuff but usually for blades where I harden and temper the steel. Do I need to harden and temper to get the nice dark contrast I’m used to seeing?
Thanks for the article, increasingly helpful. I used it to restore a Damascus steel Dirk I let get damaged by rust quite badly. I polished off the rust and sanded of the pitting with a 600 grit paper. Then followed this process, useing Muriatic Acid. Although I had to submerg it in total for about an hour in 5-15 min intervals to get a good contrast. Really benefited the blade. I have photos I would like to share. Thanks immensly for the information as this was a highly sentimental blade.
Just use rubbing alcohol
I was using acetone, and seen that you don’t recommend it. Should I use denatured alcohol to clean before I start my etching?
Hi Tim,
You can etch it yourself, before doing so if you are not familiar with the process I’d watch some Youtube videos on it to become more familiar with it. There is also information on the FAQ page on our website about the etching and finishing process. If you bought it straight from the maker I’d check with them to see if it’s something that they would be willing to do for you, I know most of them are more then willing to since they want the customer to be happy with the product.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks
Hi there,
To remove the Nail Polish you just use Nail Polish Remover or Acetone will also work.
I have not tried the Eco-Safety Brand but it’s worth a shot. There is also a way to etch damascus using coffee. Best source for seeing how that is done would be from Youtube. Just type in " How to etch damascus with coffee".
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks,
When you’re done, how do you remove the Nail Polish?
Also, can you use Muriatic Acid Cleaner Alternatives (like the Eco-Safety brand)?
I bought a Damascus Chefs knife that wasn’t etched. To see the patterns I have to look hard. Being it was already finished, can it still be etched if I do it myself?
Thanks so much Jesse! I sent you an email also, please let me know if you did not receive it. Great work!
What we use is nail polish
Hi Ron,
You can use nail polish for that.
I have a question – suppose there is part of the damascus steel you do NOT want etched? Say on a ring, you may not want the underneath side to be etched, so the stamp is not altered and is easily visible. Is there a coating that you can apply to the inside of the damascus ring to prevent that part from becoming etched?
Thanks!
Ron
I’m just beginning….. Thank you very much for the excellent article!
What do you use to mask? Masking tape? Sounds like a dumb question, but I don’t know.
Did you get it figured out how you wanted?
[…] safety gear like eye protection and gloves. For detailed instructions for etching Damascus, use this link. The basic process is as […]
I had made some scratch marks on the blade that needed to be sanded out. I also wanted a more detailed look of my pattern. I am not complete with the sanding yet. Took awhile to get all i needed. I live 30 miles from town so it took alot of my day. My knife has a rain drop pattern and want it to pop. When i am completed i’ll write back and if i can send you a pic. Thank you so much for your very needed expert advice. James A. Goudeau
[…] Etching Damascus helps bring out the contrasting colors in the pattern. Poorly etched pieces will often have spots. […]
[…] using typhoon Damascus look even more gorgeous with deep etching. Just look at the incredible contrast and texture in the knife on the left below. Click the images […]
I had made some scratch marks on the blade that needed to be sanded out. I also wanted a more detailed look of my pattern. I am not complete with the sanding yet. Took awhile to get all i needed. I live 30 miles from town so it took alot of my day. My knife has a rain drop pattern and want it to pop. When i am completed i’ll write back and if i can send you a pic. Thank you so much for your very needed expert advice. James A. Goudeau
[…] Etching Damascus helps bring out the contrasting colors in the pattern. Poorly etched pieces will often have spots. […]
[…] using typhoon Damascus look even more gorgeous with deep etching. Just look at the incredible contrast and texture in the knife on the left below. Click the images […]